Means for separably attaching sights to guns



June 13, 1967 A. E. HART 3,324,558

MEANS FOR SEPARABLY ATTACHING SIGHTS TO GUNS Filed Aug. 6, 1965 INVENTOR.

ARTHUR E. HART ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,324,558 MEANS FOR SEPARABLY ATTACHING SIGHTS TO GUNS Arthur E. Hart, 9875 Mayfield Road, Chesterland', Ohio 44026 Filed Aug. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 477,821 6 Claims. (Cl. 33-50) This invention relates, generally, to gun sights, and more particularly to means for separably attaching telescope or similar sights to rifles or other firearms where with such sights are suitable for use.

Means of this class now in use include front and rear bases or so-called V-blocks that are fixed to the rifle and in which the cylindrical casing of the telescope sight rests and by which the sight is located in proper relation to the barrel of the rifle to effect correct aim. A clamp assembly is secured to the casing of the telescope sight, and resilient means in the form of a stifl leaf spring is connected intermediate its ends by a threaded stud and thumbnut to the clamp assembly. The ends of the spring are interengaged with parts on the front and rear V-blocks thereby to hold the aforesaid casing against its seats in said blocks. It may further be explained that the parts interengage in such manner that the sight casing is restrained from endwise movement relative to the V-blocks.

The present invention more specifically consists of improved means in the nature of latch mechanism for securing the clamp assembly of the above described prevailing construction to the front and rear V-blocks or bases, thus replacing the leaf spring with the associated threaded stud and thumbnut. However, the invention should not be considered as limited to the particular details of said construction wherewith my improved means cooperate,

Objects of the invention are: to provide relatively simple means that is especially convenient of manipulation by which a telescope sight or the like may be easily and quickly attached to a rifle or other firearm and, with equal facility removed therefrom; to provide means for the purpose set forth that is highly effective and reliable in holding the sight and firearm against relative shifting that would disturb the adjustment or setting of the sight, notwithstanding rough handling, or jarring due to heavy recoil.

Other more specific objects and advantages will appear as I proceed to describe the invention in detail by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein,

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a rifle, the view showing a telescope sight attached to the rifle by means incorporating my improvements;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view showing the telescope sight (in phantom) surmounting the rifle, the view being a horizontal section in a plane immediately above the latch mechanism of my invention, said mechanism being in unlatched condition; and

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view showing the latch mechanism in latched condition.

Proceeding with a detailed description of the invention and associated structure wherein like reference characters are used to designate the same parts in the different views of the drawing illustrating an embodiment thereof, 1 is a rifle to the top side of the breech portion of which are fixed front and rear bases or so-called V-blocks 2 and 3, respectively.

The cylindrical portion of the casing of a telescope sight 5 rests in the V-blocks, and suitable adjustment means is incorporated in each block, that of the front block serving when manipulated to shift the sight laterally, and that of the rear block to adjust the sight vertically. A clamp assembly 6, secured to the sight casing, has a base portion 7 that is arranged to engage the front 3,324,558 Patented June 13, 1967 V-blOck 2 and hold the sight against forward movement with respect to the rifle. As hereinbefore brought out, these features, per se, are not parts of the present invention.

My invention resides in means in the form of latch mechanism for effectively securing the sight casing to the rifle, and it includes a stiff, resilient latch bar 10 that is attached to the underneath side of the base portion 7 of the clamp assembly 6 by means of a threaded stud 11 that is carried by and depends from said base portion through a hole in the latch bar and has screwed firmly onto its projecting lower end a nut 12. The latch bar is held against turning in its own plane, relative to the base portion 7, by a dowel pin 14 that projects from said base portion into a hole in the latch bar 10. The pin is loose enough within the hole to allow the bar to flex slightly under due stress. The forward end of the latch bar 10 is engaged beneath a downwardly facing bearing surface in the front V-block 2, presently provided by a shaft 15 of a spool-like element incorporated in said V-block.

17 is a latch lever that is pivotally connected to the rear end of the latch bar 10, as by a rivet 18, a washer 19 being shown applied to the rivet beneath the latch lever to insure against the lever tilting perceptibly on the rivet. The lever is provided with a semicircular head 20 at one end, and a finger-piece 21 at the other. By means of the latter, the lever may be swung between unlatched position shown in FIGURE 2, and latched position shown in FIGURE 3. A segment 22 of the head 20 is sufiiciently thick to dispose its top surface in the plane of the corresponding surface of the latch bar. The adjacent segmental portion of the head 20 is inclined to form a cam 23, as shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. To retain the latch mechanism in latched condition against accidental release, a projection 25 on the top side of the lever 17 extends into a recess 26 in the latch bar 10 when said mechanism is in latched condition. It will be observed that as the latch lever is moved from the position shown in FIGURE 2 to the latched position shown in FIGURE 3, the inclined cam portion 23 of the head 20 moves across and below and in pressure contact with the under surface of the extension 27, depressing the rear end of the latch bar 10. As the latch lever continues to move to full closed position, the curved edge portion of the head engages the main body portion of the V-block 3, below the extension 27 to urge the latch bar a short distance axially in a forward direction.

The rear base or V-block 3 has a forward extension 27 for cooperation with the head 20 of the latch lever. The underside of said extension provides a downwardly facing bearing surface, and contiguous to the rear edge of said surface, and in substantially right-angular relation thereto, is an abutment constituted of the front face of an adjacent part of said base or V-block.

In the act of attaching the sight to the gun, the latch lever 17 is first placed in the position shown in FIGURE 2; the forward end of the latch bar 10 is next engaged under the shaft 15, and, simultaneously therewith, the adjacent portion of the sight casing is pressed firmly against the seat of the front base or V-block. The sight casing is then engaged with the seat of the rear base or V-block and is pressed thereagainst until the cam 23 on the head 20 of the latch lever is in a position to swing beneath the extension 27. Now, by means of the fingerpiece 21, the lever 17 is swung to the position shown in FIGURES l and 3. During this phase of the act, the cam 23 cooperates with the extension 27 to depress the rear end of the latch bar slightly and place the inherently resilient parts of the latch mechanism under stress, which condition prevails as long as the head 20 is beneath the extension 27 and in contact with the downwardly facing bearing surface of said extension.

It is evident from the foregoing that the sight casing is held firmly against the seats in the bases or V-blocks 2 and 3; and it is clear, also, that said casing is held positively against forward movement relative to the gun by reason of the engagement of the front end of the base portion 7 of the clamp assembly 6 with the rear end of the front base or V-block. Rearward movement of the sight casing with respect to the gun is prevented by contact of the rear end of the head with the previously mentioned forwardly facing abutment of the rear base or V-block.

These conditions are maintained so long as the latch lever 17 remains in latched position, and it is held in such position against accidental dislodgment by the engagement of the projection on the lever *Within the recess 26 of the latch bar.

It is apparent from this disclosure that my invention provides simple and reliable means by which a telescope or similar sight may be easily, quickly and securely at tached to a firearm, and by virtue of which the sight may be removed from the firearm with equal facility. These advantages are especially important in cases where one sight is used with more than one gun. In such a case, each gun has permanently attached to it front and rear bases or V-blocks of the nature and for the purpose of those above described.

It is to be understood from the foregoing description and accompanying drawing that the means for separably attaching sights to guns, of the present invention, is not to be regarded as limited by the above described embodiment. It will be apparent therefore to those skilled in the art that other alternative arrangements of parts, substitution of materials and other organization and assembly procedures may be employed without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. In means for separably attaching .a telescope or similar sight to a gun equipped with front and rear bases, said bases being spaced a substantial distance apart and characterized by seats for the sight, each base being further characterized by a downwardly facing bearing surface and a substantially vertical abutment, said bearing surface and abutment located at the end of the base nearer the other base, and the sight having a base portion thereon arranged to engage the abutment of one base; latch mechanism comprising a latch bar connected to and located beneath said base portion and arranged with one of its ends engaged with the bearing surface of the last mentioned base, a latch lever pivotally connected to the opposite end of the latch bar to swing in a plane parallel with and beneath the plane of said bar, the lever having a head arranged to move to and from a latched position beneath and in engagement with the bearing surface, and in contact with the abutment, of the other base.

2. The combination and arrangement of parts defined by claim 1 and, in addition thereto, retaining means consisting of parts on said lever and latch bar that frictional- 1y engage each other when the latch lever is in latched position thereby to releasably hold said lever in said latched position.

3. In means for separably attaching a telescope or similar sight to a gun equipped with front and rear bases, said bases being spaced a substantial distance apart and characterized by seats for the sight, each base being further characterized by a downwardly facing bearing surface and a substantially vertical abutment, said bearing surface and abutment located at the end of the base nearer the other base, and the sight having a base portion thereon arranged to engage the abutment of one base; latch mechanism comprising a resilient latch bar located beneath and connected intermediate its ends to said base portion and arranged with one of its ends engaged with the bearing surface of the last mentioned base, said base portion having one of its ends in contact with the abutment that is adjacent the last mentioned bearing surface, a latch lever pivotally connected to the opposite end of the latch bar to swing in a plane .parallel with and beneath the plane of said bar, the lever having a head arranged to move to and from latched position beneath and in engagement with the bearing surface, and in contact with the abutment, of the other base, a part of the head being shaped to provide a cam for cooperation with a part of the last mentioned base and force the head downwardly as it swings beneath the bearing surface with the latch bar flexed downwardly from said base portion.

4. The combination and arrangement of parts defined by claim 3 wherein the latch bar and base portion have parts that cooperate to hold the latch bar against lateral displacement While permitting the bar to flex relative to said base portion.

5. The combination and arrangement of parts defined by claim 3 in *which a part of the head is shaped to provide a cam for cooperation with said other base on the firearm thereby to depress the adjacent end of the latch bar, through the intervention of the lever, to exert downwardly and forwardly directed forces on said latch bar and thereby place the latch bar under stress substantially from end to end, whereby to prevent relative movement of the mounted telescope With respect to the firearm under firing conditions.

6. The combination and arrangement of parts defined by claim 5 and, in addition thereto, a part fixed with respect to the sight, and a part fixed with respect to the latch bar, which parts cooperate to hold the latch bar against lateral displacement while permitting the bar to be stressed in the manner set forth.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,396,404 3/1946 Williams et al. 3350 2,576,347 11/1951 Jones 33--50 2,602,230 7/1952 Boughton et a1 33-50 X 3,101,549 8/1963 Plisk 33-5O LEONARD FORMAN, Primary Examiner.

11. M. FREED, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN MEANS FOR SEPARABLY ATTACHING A TELESCOPE OR SIMILAR SIGHT TO A GUN EQUIPPED WITH FRONT AND REAR BASES, SAID BASES BEING SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE APART AND CHARACTERIZED BY SEATS FOR THE SIGHT, EACH BASE BEING FURTHER CHARACTERIZED BY A DOWNWARDLY FACING BEARING SURFACE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL ABUTMENT, SAID BEARING SURFACE AND ABUTMENT LOCATED AT THE END OF THE BASE NEARER THE OTHER BASE, AND THE SIGHT HAVING A BASE PORTION THEREON ARRANGED TO ENGAGE THE ABUTMENT OF ONE BASE; LATCH MECHANISM COMPRISING A LATCH BAR CONNECTED TO AND LOCATED BENEATH SAID BASE PORTION AND ARRANGED WITH ONE OF ITS ENDS ENGAGED WITH THE BEARING SURFACE OF THE LAST MENTIONED BASE, A LATCH LEVER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF THE LATCH BAR TO SWING IN A PLANE PARALEL WITH AND BENEATH THE PLANE OF SAID BAR, THE LEVER HAVING A HEAD ARRANGED TO MOVE TO AND FROM A LATCHED POSITION BENEATH AND IN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BEARING SURFACE, AND IN CONTACT WITH THE ABUTMENT, OF THE OTHER BASE. 